Fulton County elections director accused of drunken driving

ATLANTA - The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections is planning to hold a special meeting after its elections director was arrested on a drunken driving charge.

County officials said Samuel Westmoreland was arrested after his probation was revoked on a prior DUI charge. He is being held at the Fulton County jail.

Westmoreland was at the center of controversy during the July primary election when there were delays to certify the election. Hundreds of voters somehow ended up in the wrong district and couldn't vote for their candidate and there was a discrepancy in the final recount vote in the sheriff's race.

The incident had voters venting to Fulton County Commissioners during an August meeting and calling for Westmoreland's termination. The commissioners, who don't oversee the elections division, were caught in the middle.

Westmoreland apologized and promised to fix the problems before the November presidential election, but less than two months before the election he sits in jail.

The Board of Registration and Elections sent the following statement:

“The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections has learned today of the arrest of the Director of Registration & Elections Samuel Westmoreland on charges related to revocation of probation for earlier charges of driving under the influence. Mrs. Sharon Mitchell, the chief of registration in the Department of Registration and Elections is providing leadership to the department at this time. The Board of Registration and Elections will hold a special called meeting as soon as possible to determine the next course of action to ensure stability and continuity of leadership in the Department of Registration and Elections."

Channel 2’s Tom Jones is still working to find out what got Westmoreland's probation revoked. A courthouse source told him Westmoreland is serving a 10-day sentence and is scheduled to be released on Monday but could get out sooner.